


you are the one (you hold me in my place);

by unintentionallyangsty



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Attempted Kidnapping, Blood, Blood and Injury, Brotzly - Freeform, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Familes, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash, Self-Harm, emotional breakdowns, this is self indulgent, todd brotzman protection squad, todd has a hard time processing things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 06:14:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17893046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unintentionallyangsty/pseuds/unintentionallyangsty
Summary: three months after the events of Bergsberg and Wendimoor, Dirk is kidnapped again.following this, it becomes very clear,veryquickly, that Todd hasn't yet taken the time to mentally process the drastic shift that has taken place within his life, leading up to this point.this is the aftermath.





	you are the one (you hold me in my place);

**Author's Note:**

> i know that i should be working on updating my WIP, but have this 10K of very specific self-indulgent angst, instead !
> 
> (*day after edit/warnings; i've upped the rating and added extra tags for the descriptions of violence and self-harm within the fic. the fic also involves descriptions of a pretty realistic panic attack. please take care of yourselves!)

It ended up happening when Dirk least expected it.

He’d daydreamed about it, of course. Had spent the months he’d been back within Blackwing’s containment allowing himself the empty pleasure of envisioning multiple scenarios within which Todd Brotzman and Farah Black would burst into his holding cell, arms laden with large and dangerous looking weapons, and eyes narrowed in determination after having single-handedly bested half of Blackwing’s best security force.

When this (or something like this, at the very least) did eventually happen, however, it turned out to be nothing like Dirk had expected (or prepared himself for).

This time around, he had really only been in captivity for 24 or so hours--and that was, as it were, if one could even really call his confinement “captivity”.

It had all been part of a case, of course, because there was really no other scenario within which Dirk would have had a canvas bag tossed over his head (when he’d simply been walking to the corner market for Todd’s morning coffee, for Christ’s sake), and been dragged into the back of two men’s large and somewhat smelly van before being driven off to what he assumed was something near the middle of nowhere.

When the canvas bag had (finally) been removed, Dirk had immediately recognized his kidnappers.

It was, after all, hard to forget the faces of the two twins, the lead suspects in the case of their murdered uncle, no less, that they’d been following from a distance for the better part of two weeks.

From there, it had been a string of all the standard and inane kidnapper questions. _‘How do you know about Uncle Darren?’_ and _‘Why have you been following us?’_ and, of course, _‘Are you with the police?!’_

After having answered each question in more or less of the negative (and all quite truthfully), it became clear that Dirk’s kidnappers were becoming tired of the lack of information he was providing.

Here, Dirk had been certain that the two were going to become frustrated, and had tensed himself in anticipation for the torture or threats that were sure to follow.

Only, it seemed that the two were as inept at extracting information from their kidnappees as they were covering their trails after having murdered their wealthy uncle.

Therefore, Dirk was subsequently and unceremoniously tossed into the spare room (more of a dark and damp closet, really) of their small mobile home, his hands zip-tied crudely at the wrists and something that felt uncomfortably like the blunt end of a baseball bat digging into the small of his back.

And thus the next 24 (or so) hours passed. Occasionally, the closet door would creak open, and Dirk would tense in anticipation, only for his onlooker to grunt in acknowledgement before slamming the door shut again or, on one occasion, drop a half empty bag of potato crisps into his lap before exiting again.

(Which was really rather stupid, Dirk thought, considering that eating the crisps with his hands tied behind his back was really an incredibly difficult feat, and he was only left feeling particularly parched afterward, rather than any less hungry).

Most of the time, however, was spent with Dirk’s ear pressed wearily up against the flimsy plywood of the door, listening as the brothers in the room adjacent argued over pretty much everything imaginable; what to do with Dirk now that they’d successfully kidnapped him, how to collect the rest of the valuables from their uncle’s without being recognized, etc.

It was all starting to become a bit dull and monotonous (and Dirk was really starting to have to pee), when three things happened in the span of one very jarring hour.

It began with the twin brothers seemingly having invited company over, and new voices had begun to join theirs from the room beyond.

Dirk had listened in weary exasperation, his eyes drooping shut now, despite the circumstances, as a few bottles of beer were cracked open, and the voices grew louder and more exuberant; mostly noisy declarations of what the group was going to do when “Uncle Darren’s money” was finally theirs.

Not 15 minutes into the gathering, however, Dirk was jolted entirely back awake when the sound of the front door being thrown open echoed through the small house, followed by a somewhat hoarse sounding war-cry and, finally, a round of gunshots and what sounded like blunt-force violence began ringing out over the group’s cries of fear and indignance.

Dirk felt his pulse begin to pick up speed, and he sat straight again, his back rimrod straight against the back wall as he listened as a last few gunshots were popped off, before a deafening silence rang out throughout the small space.

There was a soft murmur, too low for Dirk to make out, followed by a sharp and determined, “ _No_.”, and the sound of footsteps hastening quickly from room to room.

Dirk’s breath caught in his throat, his mind already flickering frantically with a sort of manic hope.

That voice…

Moments later, the door before him was thrust violently open, the wood nearly coming off the hinges with the force of it, and Dirk was left to blink blearily in the sudden light, his eyes adjusting slowly to take in--

Todd, who stood before him like a guardian angel, brass knuckles glinting on his fist and his chest heaving. His eyes were wider than Dirk had ever seen them, and there was a manic glint flickering just behind them as they landed on Dirk.

There was a beat, the only sound between them Todd’s harsh sounding breaths and something wet falling to the floor, and it was another long moment before Dirk’s initial shock began to wear off, and he realized belatedly that Todd was splattered in very fresh and still dripping blood.

“Dirk!” Todd finally cried, his voice cracking badly, and fell to his knees at Dirk’s side.

Dirk fought the sudden urge to move away in apprehension, finding himself unable to tear his gaze away from Todd’s wildly flickering eyes.

“Holy shit, Dirk.” Todd murmured, and Dirk noted distantly that he hardly sounded like himself, in that moment. “You were--We didn’t--Did they--”

“I’m fine.” Dirk finally found his voice, shaking his head and clearing his throat a bit before continuing, stronger now, “It’s been quite uneventful, really, save for losing the feeling in my hands.” he jerked his head back to his still tied hands with a weak smile.

“Shit,” Todd murmured, blinking a bit, as if somewhat shell-shocked, before frantically beginning to paw at the pockets of his jeans. “Fuck. I’ve got a knife somewhere. Just--”

Dirk finally did allow himself to scoot backward a bit, then, his stomach dropping slightly at the idea of Todd handling anything even remotely sharp, in his current state.

Whatever that happened to be, exactly, Dirk wasn’t entirely sure.

“Todd?” what was unmistakably Farah’s voice carried in from the hallway, before she turned a corner and, catching sight of the two of them, hurried forward.

“Dirk!” she cried, her face splitting into a small and slightly wobbly grin as she knelt beside Todd and quickly re-holstered the gun in her hands. Dirk noted distantly that she was relatively...blood covered-less, save for a few flecks across her face and neck. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s really all fine.” Dirk dismissed. “I--”

“He’s tied up.” Todd interrupted, his face twisting into a miserable frown as he gestured somewhat frantically toward Dirk’s bound hands. “I can’t find the--the knife that--”

“Okay,” Farah interrupted cooly, taking a deep breath before extending a hand to place it gently at Todd’s elbow. “Calm down. I’ve got one. I’ll get him out, okay?”

Before Todd could reply, Farah reached smoothly into the pocket of her jacket and retrieved the small knife kept there, shooting Dirk a small smile before leaning forward to slice through the plasting tightly bound around his wrists.

Dirk leaned forward to accommodate her as well as possible, and watched as Todd watched the process with rapt attention, his gaze flickering between Farah and Dirk to Dirk’s wrists and back again. His hands were clenching and unclenching tightly into the fabric of his torn jeans, his knuckles whitening what must have been painfully around the brass knuckles still on his right hand, almost as if he was unaware that he was doing it at all.

“Deep breaths,” Farah murmured, though it was unclear who the words were meant to be directed toward, and seconds later Dirk’s hands were freed.

“Thank you, Farah.” he breathed, bringing both hands to his front and beginning to massage some feeling back into the limbs. “Excellent help.”

While Farah offered a small and relieved smile, Todd still appeared tense and wired, and he continued to frown somewhat uncomfortably as he watched the proceedings.

“What happened after those guys took you?” he blurted.

“Todd,” Farah began, shooting him a warning look. “We should probably get out of here, first.”

“But what if there are more?” Todd demanded, turning to peg Farah with a somewhat desperate look. “We need to know what happened. What if--”

“We’ll talk it over once we’ve gotten Dirk out of here.” Farah interrupted smoothly, and Dirk didn’t miss how practiced the low and soothing tone of her voice seemed. As if she’d dealt with this sort of...inconsolable Todd on multiple occasions.

As if this were a completely normal, run of the mill situation, and not what Dirk was beginning to sense might be a Todd Brotzman Going Almost Completely Off the Deep End type situation.

“Can you stand?”

Dirk blinked at Farah’s question, and hastily nodded when he was met with her expectant gaze.

“I’m really fine.” Dirk dismissed as Farah nodded once before leaning forward to grip at his elbows and help him to his feet. “My kidnappers were less than entirely competent.”

He cracked a smile, automatically anticipating a huff of amused laughter from Todd, or an exasperated eye-roll from Farah.

Instead, something about the words fell flat, and a sort of awkward silence hung between them for a moment.

With a small cough, Dirk registered Farah’s slight grimace, before he turned to glance over his shoulder to locate Todd--

Todd, who was still crouched on the floor beside them, his eyes wide and glazed over as they tracked Dirk’s movements sharply, his breaths continuing to leave him in sharp and shallow, wheezing pants.

“We need to get out of here.” Farah muttered, and Dirk felt more than saw her hand already beginning to inch back toward the holster at her hip. “Todd!”

Dirk jumped slightly at the sharpness of her tone, but it seemed to achieve its intended purpose.

Todd jolted as well, blinking as if being drawn roughly out of some mental reverie, and stood hastily to rejoin the two of them.

“Right,” he nodded once, twice, and swallowed audibly. “Let’s go.”

To Dirk’s right, Farah nodded sharply, before taking Dirk’s elbow and turning to face what he assumed was the path toward the front door with a determined expression.

“The car’s just outside.” she informed him, her words kept slow and precise. “We just have to walk through the front hall and living room to get to it. Don’t--Try to ignore...everything, okay? It’ll be fine.”

“Ignore…” Dirk began, though the words died in his throat as Farah tugged sharply at his arm and began leading them hastily toward their exit, Todd hot on their heels.

Immediately, Dirk was able to see what Farah had been alluding to.

The hall they’d just entered, and the living room that sat between them and the front door, was littered with multiple crumpled and very bloodied bodies.

Dirk swallowed heavily at the stench of blood as they hastened past the scattered forms, unable to keep himself from gazing wide-eyed at each that they passed with some kind of morbid curiosity, his gaze tracking over the mottled bruises that covered what Dirk could see of many of their faces.

As they reached the door, and Farah steadily and cooly reached out to grant them their exit, Dirk’s eyes fell to the body closest to them, and his stomach lurched slightly at the sight.

It was unmistakably one of the twins who’d initially kidnapped him, and what was unmistakably the knife Todd had been searching frantically for earlier was lodged deeply into the side of his now thoroughly blood-soaked throat.

Outside, Dirk shivered in the cool and crisp evening air, though it was a merciful blessing after having been stuffed in the confines of a closet for as long as he had been.

“It’s past midnight.” Farah continued to speak as she led them toward where her Jeep was parked not 10 feet away, and opened the back door to allow Dirk to crawl in. “Too late to head back home.”

Were Dirk not so hyper-aware of where Todd was climbing in to the passenger seat at the moment, he probably would have missed his reaction.

As it were, he watched as Todd froze briefly at the words, his fingers tightening slightly around his seatbelt as his face fell spectacularly.

“We can’t stay here, but there’s a motel just a a few miles south.” Farah continued as she shut the driver’s side door behind her and quickly started the engine. “We’ll be okay there for the night.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Todd cut in, before Dirk had a chance to reply, his shoulders still held tense beneath his too-large grey hoodie. “People are probably gonna come looking, and--”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Farah cut in smoothly, casting him a significant look.

“Did--” Todd’s mouth gaped slightly as he seemed to struggle briefly for words. “Did you...pay someone off?”

“Technically, they were criminals.” Farah dismissed with a small shrug. “And...since we have the...financial capacity…”

“Okay,” Todd dismissed with a small shake of his head. “Fine. But we’d probably be safer closer to home, anyway. Right?” he glanced a little desperately over his shoulder, as if seeking out Dirk’s agreement, before turning back to Farah.

“It’s too late to head all the way back to Seattle.” Farah argued with a small shake of her head. “We could _all_ ,” here, she shot Todd a pointed look. “use some sleep, and since I’m the only one in any state to drive right now, I think finding somewhere nearer to us to spend the night is probably our best option.”

“How far is home, exactly?” Dirk cut in, despite Todd having opened his mouth to reply (and no doubt continue to argue).

“About 15 hours.” Farah replied over her shoulder, already beginning to back the Jeep out of the small gravel driveway.

“Oh,” Dirk replied blankly, frowning as the information began to register. “It didn’t feel like I was there long enough for that.”

“You were gone about 30 hours.” Farah replied quickly and distractedly. “We were right behind you.”

“ _Were_ you?” Dirk blinked a little, his heart fluttering a bit in his chest at the news. “How--”

Todd made a small noise, then, barely perceptible, but loud enough that Dirk found himself trailing off mid-sentence, regardless.

“We’ll...fill you in later.” Farah murmured over the low hum of the engine, briefly meeting Dirk’s gaze in the rearview mirror before turning her full attention back to the road.

Dirk nodded slowly, settling back against the leather seat and, despite his relief at having been found and rescued with little to no complications, he found that he couldn’t find it within himself to fully relax, just yet.

The Universe was still glimmering uncomfortably with unresolved tension, and Todd hunched in the front seat, chewing nervously at the corner of one fingernail as his gaze flickered unsteadily between Dirk and the passing landscape, certainly wasn’t helping matters.

\---

When they’d reached their motel, Farah wasted no time after having parked before beginning to let herself out of the car.

When Todd and Dirk hastened to do the same, however, she interrupted with a sharp, “No.”

The two froze simultaneously, and blinked in the face of Farah’s hesitant expression.

“You two...stay here. Out of sight. Until we can find you a shower and some--some new clothes.”

Todd paused, before the words seemed to catch up with him, and he glanced down, his face paling dramatically as he seemed to take in the now drying rusty splotches of blood still streaking his clothes for the first time.

“I’ll be back with the keys in a minute.” Farah addressed Dirk, before turning on her heel briskly beginning to head for the motel lobby.

Dirk, and it seemed Todd, sat for a moment, blinking and watching as she disappeared into the building, before Dirk let out a loud huff of breath and collapsed back into his seat, only for his elbow to catch painfully on the unforgiving plastic of the car door.

He released a small, “ _ow_!”, and made a face as he reached a hand up to rub at the offended (and probably bruised) skin there.

“Dirk!” Todd cried, turning so swiftly to face Dirk that the seat beneath his rocked slightly at the movement, his eyes bright and alert in the dim lamplight from just outside. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Dirk dismissed with a small wave of his hand, and forced himself to offer Todd what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m fine.”

It had less than the desired reaction, however, and Dirk was left faced with Todd’s face scrunching into an almost confused expression, his eyes flickering unsteadily over Dirk’s form as if he were unsure of whether or not to trust the statement.

Dirk cleared his throat and, when Todd continued to simply watch him in silence, he gestured toward the motel before them and offered, “I think Farah’s coming back.”

True to form (and therefore saving Dirk from navigating what was beginning to feel like a minefield of a conversation), Farah arrived back at the car not moments later, throwing open the driver’s side door and nodding to both of them.

“I’ve got our rooms. Make sure not to be seen when you get out.” she informed, before slamming the door again and heading to the rear of the car.

“Oh--” Todd blinked and glanced briefly back down at his soiled clothing before he nodded jerkily. “Ri--ight. Right.” he muttered, before turning without another word and opening his own door.

Dirk watched him go for a brief moment, his heart flipping in his chest as he began to register just how truly out of his depth he was beginning to feel, before he sprang into action and quickly exited the vehicle.

“The rooms are right there.” Farah called from where she was extracting a duffle bag from the trunk, now, and gestured toward the row of motel rooms to their right. “Hurry before somebody sees you.”

Dirk nodded, though he knew that he wasn’t necessarily the one being addressed, and turned to follow Todd through the shadows and toward their rooms for the night.

“You sure you’re good?” Todd murmured as they ducked beneath a small concrete alcove and stopped just outside the doors to waited for Farah to join them, his brow slightly furrowed. “You look um--pale.”

“Just tired.” Dirk reassured, before Todd could continue to voice the same question over again. “It’s rather difficult to catch any sleep crouched in a small closet, after all.” he chuckled slightly, though Todd’s forehead only scrunched further at the words.

“You didn’t sleep?” he all but demanded, his chest beginning to rise and fall a little more rapidly than Dirk was comfortable with.

Dirk opened his mouth to reply, his heart twisting slightly at the somewhat desperate look lingering in Todd’s eyes, but Farah interrupted before he was able.

“Alright,” she declared, reaching out to hand Todd a set of clothes from the now open duffle bag. “204 and 205. This is us.”

“Two rooms?” Todd sputtered a bit, turning swiftly to frown in Farah’s direction. “What happened to ‘stick together’?”

“They’re tiny.” Farah replied with a small shrug. “The’ll hardly fit two, as it is.” she tossed a key in Todd’s direction, who fumbled it and had to retrieve it from the pavement below seconds later.

“Dirk, would you like to stay with Todd?” Farah inquired, her words held carefully controlled, and raised her brows pointedly in his direction.

Dirk knew that look, he realized with a bit of a start--had co-existed with Farah Black and Todd Brotzman just long enough to know it well.

It was Farah’s silent way of asking for something without actually having to ask for it outright; chiefly, it was her own subtle way of addressing Todd when he was within hearing distance, and therefore couldn’t be alluded to outright.

It was a, _‘Todd’s keeping something from us,’_ or a, _‘Can you please remind Todd to take his medication?’_ , or, occasionally, a somewhat worried, _‘Something’s wrong with Todd.’_

Today, Dirk got the distinct feeling that it was more of a, _‘Keep an eye on him for me.’_

Dirk nodded hastily, and chirped a quick, “Of course!” in reply, his heart flipping a dizzying somersault at the idea of sharing a very small motel room with Todd Brotzman for reasons he wasn’t entirely sure he was prepared to examine too closely, just yet.

The illusion was somewhat shattered, however, when Dirk turned to nod again in Todd’s direction, only to be met with the somewhat dismal expression that had painted itself across his friend’s face.

“Right,” Farah nodded decidedly. “I’ll be next door if you need anything.” here, Dirk received another Look. “Otherwise, we should be on the road by eight tomorrow morning.”

Dirk and Todd nodded in reply, though Todd’s seemed more an automatic and somewhat empty reaction to Farah’s “Please Do As I Say” tone than anything, and there was a beat as Farah chewed the corner of her lip consideringly, before she surged forward to clasp her arms briefly around a stunned Dirk’s shoulders.

“Glad to have you back.” she murmured lowly, before pulling away entirely and, after reaching out a hand to clasp quickly at Todd’s arm (and Dirk didn’t think either of them missed the way the smaller man flinched slightly at the contact), turned to let herself into her room.

The two were left alone, then, lingering uncertainly in the dim light outside their room, Dirk chewing on the inside of his cheek and Todd’s legs jittering unsteadily beneath him, until Dirk finally took a deep breath and opened his mouth--

Only for Todd to, unexpectedly, be the first to speak.

“We should probably--it’s getting late and--” he trailed off, screwing his brows together as if confused by his own inability to string a totally cohesive sentence together, before he deflated a bit and gestured weakly at the door before them.

Dirk nodded and began to stride forward, only for Todd to flinch again--this time the movement so pronounced that neither could deny it.

Especially if the guilty expression that immediately flashed across Todd’s features was anything to go by.

Dirk froze, his stomach dropping slightly as he automatically raised both hands in a placating gesture.

A charged silence hung briefly between them, then, neither of their eyes leaving the other’s for even a moment.

“Todd,” Dirk began, finally, forcing himself to keep his tone low and calming.

They had to talk about it, he finally decided firmly to himself, before the chasm he could practically see stretching out between them continued to grow any further.

Whatever “it” was, however, remained to be seen.

Todd, it seemed, had other plans.

Before Dirk could continue his thought (before he could even consider how he was going to do so in the first place, in all honesty), Todd bristled and shook his head ever so slightly.

“I--Just--” he huffed a bit, casting one last glance in Dirk’s direction (almost as if pleading for him to let the situation drop) before turning and beginning to unlock the door before them.

Dirk hesitated, swallowing past the emotions welling in his throat and threatening briefly to overwhelm him, and momentarily considered reaching out to latch onto Todd’s elbow and demand to know what was going on.

Or at the very least plead with him to simply _talk_ to Dirk again.

Neither of these things happened, however. Instead, in Dirk’s moment of hesitation, Todd had quickly gotten the door open, and was already beginning to disappear into the motel room beyond.

Dirk blinked and, by the time he’d hastened into the room on Todd’s heels, the bathroom door to their left was already closing, and concealing Todd’s figure from view entirely.

Both doors slammed simultaneously, and Dirk was left standing alone in the hallway, his back pressed against the wall adjacent to the bathroom as he listened dejectedly to Todd immediately beginning to start the shower.

 _Shit_.

\---

It seemed to happen almost instantaneously.

One moment, Dirk was sat ramrod straight, perched on the edge of the single bed in the middle of their motel room (another fact that he was rather unwilling to consider too closely, given their current situation), determined to apprehend Todd as soon as he exited the bathroom and give his best attempt at getting some answers out of the skittish man.

The next minute, however, Dirk found himself blinking back to wakefulness, his head cushioned deeply into one of the bed’s pillows and the scratchy motel comforter pulled almost to his chin.

With a weary groan, Dirk sat up and peered blearily around at his surroundings, taking a deep breath and allowing himself a moment to remember exactly where he was.

The motel room was dark, the lamplight from outside streaming in through the little window beside the door the only source of light.

Still evening then, Dirk concluded.

Or, he supposed, very early morning.

The rest of the mental pieces of the “where did I wake up this time” puzzle were just beginning to click together when Dirk felt something shift on the mattress behind him, and he tensed slightly at the sudden movement, bracing himself before turning slowly around to face the source of the movement.

There, curled up on the very edge of the mattress and on top of all the blankets, was Todd, his mouth downturned into a deep frown as he twitched slightly in what must have been a restless slumber.

“Oh,” Dirk breathed, his heart twisting almost painfully at the sight.

He hesitated, watching the unsteady rise and fall of Todd’s chest another long moment before he shifted into action.

He shed his jacket quickly, before he could overthink the situation, and reached out to drape it over Todd’s vaguely trembling shoulders, allowing his hands to linger another few breaths before he pulled away entirely.

As if determined to shatter the moment, Dirk’s stomach gave a low growl, then, so loud that he briefly feared that he would wake his sleeping companion.

Todd remained asleep, however, and Dirk was left free to ponder his current options.

As thankful as he was for being rescued, Todd and Farah, as a unit, did tend to sometimes leap headlong into things, and were therefore liable to unintentionally skip over minor details within the grand scheme of a plan.

This time, Dirk considered as his stomach gave another pitiful growl, that happened to be the issue of food.

He hadn’t had anything to eat since the near empty bag of crisps hours earlier, and it had been longer since he’d had anything to drink.

With a small huff, Dirk stood and, making sure to keep his movements quiet and slow, crossed the small space to peer out the little window.

“Aha!” he cried softly as he caught sight of a vending machine hidden in a little alcove across from their room.

Dirk grinned a bit in victory, his mood already lifting slightly at the prospect of food, and felt his pockets for extra change…

Only to come up empty.

“Damn,” Dirk muttered, frowning slightly and casting his gaze around the room for where Todd might have discarded the previous night’s clothing.

He most likely wouldn’t mind if Dirk borrowed a few dollars (it certainly wouldn’t have been the first time that Dirk had borrowed money for a small snack) and, when Dirk caught sight of the small pile of clothing at the foot of the bed, he hastened forward eagerly with the thought firmly in mind.

When the pockets of Todd’s (too large, and Dirk had told him so at least a hundred times) jeans came up empty, Dirk discarded them with a huff and reached out for the hoodie on the floor beside them--

Only for his hands to freeze just as the tips of his fingers brushed the bloodied fabric, a warm rush of familiarity and realization threatening to bowl him over entirely.

This was his own sweatshirt, Dirk realized as he rubbed the worn and thin grey fabric between his thumb and forefinger in something close to astonishment.

The sweatshirt he only threw on when he was feeling exceptionally cold, or in need of something more comfortable and secure to wrap around himself when a jacket simply wouldn’t do.

The sweatshirt he’d worn out of the hospital the day that Todd had come back for him.

Dirk swallowed thickly, his gaze automatically snapping back up to where Todd was curled in on himself on the bed.

It had been months since Dirk had worn the thing--not since they’d started the Agency, he’d reckon. It had simply remained ignored and unused, hung at the very back of his closet after the hospital.

And yet, here it was….Todd…

With a small jolt, Dirk dropped the article of clothing as if it had suddenly burned him, and swallowed again past the sudden rush of new and somewhat foreign emotions tightening his throat.

Before he had too much of a chance to overthink things, however, a soft _plop_ drew his attention back to where he’d tossed the hoodie.

There, lying on the stained, emerald green carpet below, sat what was unmistakably Todd’s worn leather wallet, a five dollar bill just peeking out of the top.

Dirk blinked at it in astonishment and sat, crouched there and momentarily at war with himself, before he leaned forward to retrieve the bill and hastily stood, dropping Todd’s wallet back into the pile of clothes and glancing quickly back to Todd’s still prone figure.

“Be right back,” he whispered, the tremulous emotions roaring within his chest calming into something almost warm, now.

And, though Todd couldn’t see it, Dirk offered a small and fond smile before turning swiftly on his heel to exit the motel room entirely.

Once he was outside, Dirk found himself slowing to a stop, and allowed himself to take a moment to close his eyes and simply breathe in the fresh and free air.

The stars were out tonight, and Dirk felt his heart swell at the sight of them, a new sort of... _something_ beginning to flutter madly in his chest, refusing to be silenced.

The vending machine, as it turned out when Dirk finally approached, was rather piteously empty. A few bags of crisps (something Dirk thought that he’d rather avoid, at the present moment), some crackers, a small variety of granola bars, and one bottle of Gatorade.

With a small sigh, Dirk inserted the bill and began selecting a lone bag of Cheez-Its and the Gatorade (anything was better than old motel tap water, after all. He knew from experience).

A distant _thump_ drew Dirk from his reverie, suddenly, and he felt his shoulders tense at the sound.

He quickly swiveled his head to survey the parking lot to his left, his heart beginning to hammer somewhat wildly in his chest.

Farah’s Jeep, a small Volkswagon Bug, an old and rusted Ford truck, and…

Dirk felt his heart leap to his throat.

A large white van, parked not 15 feet away from where he was stood.

 _Was that there before?_ he thought a little wildly, already beginning to take a step back toward their motel rooms at the thought.

The image of one of his kidnappers, lying bruised and crumpled on the floor with Todd’s bloodied knife in his neck, flashed to the forefront of his mind, unbidden.

That had been one twin…

Dirk hadn’t seen the other.

Before he had a chance to react, a hoarse yell rang out behind him, and Dirk opened his mouth to release a startled cry of his own when the sound of a door slamming open interrupted him.

“Dirk!”

Dirk whirled on his heel, his eyes going wide and his mouth falling slightly open as he took in the sight of Todd, practically hunched over in the doorway across the way, his face ashen and his curly hair stood in all directions.

And his eyes…

His eyes held that same blank, haunted look they had when he’d found Dirk in the closet in the first place.

“Todd--”

Before Dirk could continue, Todd had sped forward, his arms reaching out to grip tightly (almost painfully) at Dirk’s elbows.

“What are you--Are you okay?” he all but demanded, his voice tight and reedy.

“I--” Dirk began, ready to dismiss the concerns again, before he felt something click within his chest, and he realized that he was suddenly very, _very_ tired of answering the question, when there was clearly another that was begging to be asked.

“Todd,” Dirk began again, twisting his arms and raising his hands slowly to grip at Todd’s own elbows, not missing how Todd’s eyes widened impossibly further at the movement. “Are _you_ alright?”

There was a beat of ringing silence. Todd opened his mouth immediately, only for it to fall shut again, and he seemed to flounder for words before he took on a sharp and steely determined expression.

“You--” he began, sputtering slightly. “You can’t just run off like that!” he all but cried, a desperate, almost pleading tone hiding just behind the words. “After--after fucking _everything_! You can’t just--”

“Todd.” Dirk interrupted firmly, tightening his grip slightly when he noticed Todd’s breathing beginning to hitch into something shorter and more shallow, now. “Calm--”

“ _No_!” Todd interrupted fiercely, the word echoing blankly off the concrete walls surrounding them, and he seemed to hesitate before he tore himself from Dirk’s grip. “Don’t you _dare_ tell me to calm down, Dirk! Don’t you--don’t you _fucking_ dare! I--”

“Todd,” Dirk interrupted, his stomach flipping sickeningly as he sensed that the situation was rapidly beginning to spin way beyond either of their control.

“I couldn’t--” Todd seemed to attempt a desperate inhale, though it ended on a weak wheeze, instead. “I couldn’t--couldn’t find you, and--”

“Todd--”

“And you--” Todd choked on a wet sounding hiccup, his cheeks furiously red, now. “We just got you back, and--and--”

“Todd,” Dirk cut in, as sternly as he could manage, and swept forward to grip again at both of Todd’s forearms, praying that the touch would hold as a grounding sensation until he could coax the smaller man somewhere safer. “You’ll trigger an attack.”

He’d seen Todd worked up, sure, but this, Dirk realized distantly at he watched Todd seem to struggle to comprehend exactly what was happening--

This was beyond anything he felt prepared to deal with.

“N--no.” Todd shook his head jerkily, almost compulsively, and seemed to choke on another inhale. “Nnn--”

“Please,” Dirk pleaded, unable to stop his voice from cracking slightly as he watched his friend continue to struggle. “Todd,”

“I--” Todd’s eyes had begun to glaze over slightly, though he still appeared panicked and wired. “I--I can’t--I can’t _breathe_ , I--You--”

“Okay,” Dirk interrupted smoothly, his words coming out far calmer than he felt at the moment as he continued to cling to a frantic Todd’s arms. “We’ll go inside, alright? It’ll be better, just--Please, Todd.” he whispered, swallowing past the tears now threatening to overtake him entirely.

Todd seemed to struggle harder for another long moment, before he seemed to wilt slightly, and a sort of bleak understanding momentarily overtook his features.

“Dirk?” he murmured, the word so soft and fragile that Dirk felt his heart break slightly at the sound of it.

“Of course,” Dirk replied, certain beyond a doubt that he needed to move quickly as he began to steer the two of them back toward their open motel room door. “Of course it’s me.”

“You were--” Todd shook his head blearily, though he allowed himself to be led without complaint. “You were--you were gone, and--”

“Yes well, I’m back now.” Dirk replied distractedly, kicking the door shut behind the two of them and making sure to lock the deadbolt tightly. He turned, then, and offered Todd a weary smile. “See?”

Rather than react, Todd furrowed his brow, and gazed around the room dazedly as if seeing it for the first time.

“I let them take you.”

It felt like the air had been kicked out of Dirk’s lungs, and he felt his smile immediately vanish with it.

“What?” he croaked.

“It’s my fault.” Todd whispered, almost as if to himself, and stumbled back a small step. “I--I wasn’t--I should have--”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Dirk cut in hastily, and shook his head sharply.

“I should have paid more attention.” Todd continued, as if Dirk hadn’t spoken, his breaths spiking back into uneven, shallow pants. “I--I let them take you--I let _Blackwing_ take you--”

“No--”

“All--all because of my--a _fucking_ attack!” Todd cried, his voice rising in pitch until it was near a full-on shout.

Without warning, he struck out and slammed one of his already mottled fists against the shabby plaster of the wall with a sharp cry.

“Todd!” Dirk yelped, and watched, as if frozen in place, as Todd struck the wall again.

“My--my fucking pararibulitis!” he shrieked, and struck again. “This _fucking_ disease!”

Another hit, and this time his knuckles came away wet and bloodied.

“Stop it!” Dirk cried fiercely, and finally ( _finally_ ) lunged forward to all but yank Todd away from the now red-splattered wall and trap him between his own arms. “Stop!”

“I couldn’t save you!” Todd wailed, his legs kicking out sharply as he bucked and writhed in Dirk’s arms. “I--They took you again, and--and I can’t--I couldn’t--” he trailed off, still struggling weakly, and bit at his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.

With a grunt, Dirk forced the both of them into a sitting position on the carpet below, Todd penned between his legs with Dirk’s arms still wrapped tightly around his shoulders.

“I’m fine,” Dirk began to soothe at once, his hands moving automatically to rub at Todd’s trembling back and arms, now. “You found me. You saved me!” he cheered softly, his tone taking on an almost wondrous tone. “Nobody’s _ever_ done that for me, before.”

“I--” Todd had stopped struggling almost entirely, now, though his breathing was anything but even. “It wasn’t--I couldn’t--”

“I’m alright.” Dirk continued to insist, leaning down to bury his nose into the thick hair at the crown of Todd’s head and inhaling sharply.

He’d shaved his head since his hair had been dyed, and the brown curls that had finally begun to grow back in were tighter and softer than Dirk could have ever imagined.

“You saved me, Todd Brotzman.” he whispered hoarsely.

Todd froze in his arms, and a stretch of silence followed, so long that Dirk was briefly afraid that he’d misspoken, before the smaller man seemed to crumple, and he released a long, muted wail.

“Shhh,” Dirk soothed immediately, almost automatically, and shifted so that Todd’s hitching sobs were muffled into his shoulder, his hands continuing to smooth up and down his shuddering back. “I’m alright. I’m fine. You did it! You did it.”

If anything, Todd only continued to cry harder, and pressed forward so that he was practically burrowed into Dirk’s side, his shoulders heaving with the force of his cries.

“‘M’sorry.” he gasped, heaving what sounded like his first deep breath in in days. “I’m so sorry, Dirk.”

“Don’t.” Dirk reprimanded softly, reaching a hand up to tangle it in the hair at the back of Todd’s head as he began to rock them gently back and forth. “It’s alright. We’re alright.”

They sat like that for a few moments longer, and Dirk would have been contended to do so for another hour, waiting until Todd’s sobs died out and they were comfortably pressed together, were it not for the frantic knocking at their door interrupting them seconds later.

“Dirk?” Farah’s voice from the other side of the wood sounded, and the doorknob jiggled sharply. “Todd? Are you okay?”

Todd tensed, his breaths still tremulous as he continued to choke back wet sounding sobs, and Dirk patted his back and neck in a somewhat frantic attempt to soothe him.

“It’s alright.” he murmured, before calling, a bit louder now, “Be right there!”

He paused, unwilling to let Todd go, just yet, but Farah jiggling the knob again made his mind up for him.

They certainly didn’t need to add a broken-down motel room door to the morning’s list of events.

“You alright?” Dirk murmured, leaning down in an attempt to catch Todd’s elusive gaze.

Todd didn’t reply beyond tangling his hand briefly but tightly in the fabric of Dirk’s sleeve, before he released his grip and allowed Dirk to (reluctantly) stand.

“Dirk?” Farah repeated, her tone becoming increasingly anxious, and Dirk grimaced.

“Yes, I--” he paused, his gaze briefly meeting Todd’s red and puffy one where the smaller man was still perched on the floor, collapsed wearily against the wall behind as if he couldn’t find it within himself to stand and join Dirk, just yet.

To his left, however, lay Dirk’s jacket, most likely discarded from when he’d sprung out of bed earlier, and Dirk swooped forward to seize it before quickly leaning down to wrap it around Todd’s shoulders.

To his relief, Todd didn’t flinch at the contact. On the contrary, he immediately raised both hands to cling at the fabric of the coat as if it were a lifeline, his knees drawing slightly tighter in toward his chest as something like a fragile clarity began to dawn just behind his eyes.

Without thinking, Dirk leaned in to press his forehead softly to Todd’s, and took a moment to simply breathe deeply before standing and hastening to the door to grant Farah access.

“What happened?” Farah demanded as soon as Dirk had begun to open the door, and strode into the room, her gun already halfway out of its holster.

“Um!” Dirk cried, closing and locking the door quickly behind her and skittering forward so that he was stood between her and where Todd was still sat, tensed on the carpet. “Please don’t.” he gestured down at the gun with a small wince.

“Why?” Farah bit out with a sharp frown. “What--”

She trailed off, then, her brow furrowing as her gaze wandered over Dirk’s shoulder; and he knew without asking that she’d caught sight of--

“Todd?” Farah did release the gun, then, and all but fell forward so that she was knelt at Todd’s side.

“‘M’fine.” Todd dismissed immediately, though his knuckles had tightened slightly around the fabric of the jacket draped over his shoulders.

He did, however, both look and sound more stable and aware than he had since Dirk’s rescue, and Dirk felt the tightness that had begun to lodge itself between his ribs hours before finally begin to loosen slightly.

Farah, however, continued to frown and, after a brief moment’s hesitation, reached out to cup the back of Todd’s neck gently.

“Was it an attack?” she murmured, so low that Dirk had to strain to hear her.

Todd shook his head minutely. “N-No it--” he swallowed audibly, though didn’t make as if to continue the thought.

Farah paused, and watched him another long minute, her gaze both shrewd and concerned, before she released a small breath and reached out to take Todd’s bloodied hand within her own.

“We need to clean this.” she finally spoke, matter-of-factly, before standing and stepping back to where Dirk was still stood in the middle of the room.

“Get him his meds and make sure he takes two.” Farah all but commanded, before turning to address Todd again over her shoulder. “Up on the bed. I’ll get the first aid kit.”

Before she exited, Farah offered Dirk another brief Look.

 _‘I knew this was coming,’_ this one seemed to say.

And, quite possibly, _‘Thank you.’_

Dirk nodded meekly, returning Farah’s small smile with one of his own, before she swiftly exited the room and let the door shut behind her with a _click_.

Immediately, Dirk found himself drawn back to Todd’s side, though he refrained from reaching out to touch, just yet.

“Do you need help?” he inquired, past the point of caring now whether or not the words seemed condescending.

Especially when Todd didn’t attempt a verbal reply, and instead simply shook his head determinedly, reaching a hand out to brace himself on the back wall and lifting himself to his feet with a small huff of breath.

Dirk nodded, though the denial hardly stopped him from following Todd closely as he shuffled across the room and collapsed onto the bed with another sigh.

He looked, for a moment, as if he wanted nothing more than to collapse back to sleep and, as if to confirm Dirk’s suspicion, he gazed wistfully at the pillows behind him with heavily lidded eyes.

“Not until Farah’s back.” Dirk spoke softly, crouching down and already reaching into the pocket of the hoodie on the floor to retrieve the bottle of pills he knew would be there. “She’ll...fix you up, and then you can sleep.”

He uncapped the bottle, shaking out two of the small red pills before extending them wordlessly.

Todd frowned and nodded a little miserably, his gaze kept carefully averted as he accepted the proffered medication and, seemingly without thinking, swallowed it dry.

It reminded Dirk uncomfortably of how he behaved when he wasn’t able to immediately isolate himself after an attack, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Hey,” Dirk murmured, spurred on enough by the thought to lean forward and place a gentle hand on one of Todd’s knees. “It’s alright.”

A small wrinkle had made its home between Todd’s brows, and for a moment it seemed that he was about to reply, before the sound of the door opening behind Dirk interrupted, and he fell back into silence.

“See?” Farah’s voice carried into the room as she locked the door behind her and hastened over. “I told you it would be a good idea to bring this.”

Todd huffed, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, though it died almost as soon as it had begun.

“You’re always insisting that we bring that, though.” Dirk spoke for him, offering Farah a weak smile and rolling his eyes slightly.

“Yes, well,” Farah dipped her head in acquiescence as she began to rummage through the contents of the first aid kit. “You two tend to be a bit...accident prone. So,”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dirk scoffed slightly, though he sobered immediately when Farah drew out a small bottle of antiseptic ointment and a packet of gauze.

“Okay, Todd.” Farah spoke slowly but pointedly. “You know the drill.”

Dirk felt his stomach flip a bit at the disconcerting implications behind the words, and watched with a grimace as Todd wordlessly extended his hand for Farah to examine.

Farah peered closely at the wound, and Dirk considered that, if he didn’t know her as well as he did, he would have missed entirely the way her jaw tightened slightly as she did so.

This wasn’t as easy for her as she made it out to be, and Dirk felt a swell of affection and gratitude for her warm his chest at the reminder.

“Okay,” Farah muttered, and reached down to first crack the bottle of antiseptic ointment open, before tearing into the packet of gauze.

“Deep breaths.”

Without missing a beat, she soaked the gauze she held and immediately began to swipe at the wound.

Todd winced, his face tightening slightly as Farah finished cleaning, but didn’t make a sound as she began to bandage his knuckles professionally.

“Good,” Farah murmured encouragingly as she tied off the end of the final bandage, and immediately moved to begin replacing the supplies, as if unsure of what to do with her hands, now. “You good?”

Dirk watched as she glanced hesitantly up from where she was working to meet Todd’s eyes, some sort of unspoken understanding passing between them as they held each other’s gaze.

“Ye-eah.” Todd finally replied, his voice cracking, and coughed a bit before continuing, “Thank you, Farah.”

His gaze flashed briefly to Dirk, and Dirk knew without words that the sentiment was being extended to him, as well.

“You--” Farah sighed and dropped her gaze so that she could lock the first aid kit back up again. “Just...don’t do it again, okay?”

The plea was small, so soft that it almost went unheard and, if possible, Todd’s frown grew at the words.

“‘M’sorry.” he muttered, his shoulders hunching almost to his ears.

“N--You didn’t do anything wrong, Todd.” Farah replied softly, and reached a hand up to grasp at his.

When Todd didn’t reply beyond a small shake of his head, Farah sighed and stood, the first aid kit in hand.

“It’s still early.” she commented briskly. “We could all probably use a bit more sleep before we hit the road.”

“I’m in total agreement.” Dirk replied immediately, though he wasn’t sure that he himself would be able to sleep, quite yet.

His pulse still fluttering a bit wildly with adrenaline would make sure of that.

“O-okay.” Todd managed, nodding a bit and forcing a small smile (more of a wince, really) in Farah’s direction. “Thanks, again.”

“Oh, I’m not leaving.” Farah replied instantly, placing the kit in her hands on the small end table at the corner of the room before moving back toward where Dirk and Todd were still sat. “That’s the last time the two of you try to deadbolt me out of a room.”

It was spoken as a joke, but Dirk didn’t miss the tightness of her mouth as she said it, nor did he miss the way the tension in Todd’s shoulders ebbed slightly in relief at the words.

“You--you really don’t have to stay.” Todd protested, though it was a weak effort, at best, as Farah had already flicked the small bedside lamp on, and was moving to turn the main light off.

“I doubt you two would survive the evening without me.” she teased. “Besides, Dirk’s already a nervous wreck.”

Dirk squawked a bit indignantly, though he could hardly deny that the words had a hint of truth to them.

“I’ve never had a good American Motel slumber party, before.” he commented instead, and stood to round the side of the bed opposite to the one Farah was now perched on, already removing one of her boots.

“We’ve definitely all slept on the floor of the office.” Todd commented drily, a bit of spirit finally leaking back into his words. “That should count for something.”

“Yes, Todd,” Dirk rolled his eyes dramatically. “But that hardly counts as a dirty, undersized _motel_ , does it?”

“Thank god for that.” Farah muttered beneath her breath as she placed her now shed boots neatly against the wall.

“I--I’ll take the floor, then.” Todd offered, watching as Farah settled back against the headboard.

Farah and Dirk both made a sound of protest simultaneously, then, Dirk going so far as to quickly leap onto the bed to Todd’s right to effectively block any hope of exit.

“It’s filthy down there.” Farah argued, pulling a somewhat disgusted face.

“And besides,” Dirk cut in quickly with a cocky smile, “These are hardly the smallest living quarters we’ve shared. Remember the time in the back of the Jeep?”

“I’d rather not.” Todd replied, the barest hint of a flush on his cheeks. “Seriously, guys--”

“Go to sleep, Todd.” Farah interrupted, firmly, “You can barely keep your eyes open.”

As if to prove her point, Todd blinked sleepily at her, before sluggishly swiveling his head to meet Dirk’s eyes.

“I promise not to crush you.” Dirk offered solemnly, his heart flipping at the small smile the words earned him.

“Okay, just…” Todd glanced between them once more, though he seemed to already be falling back into the mattress below. “Wake me up as soon as you’re ready to leave?”

“Will do.” Farah responded, nodding sagely.

Todd returned the nod and finally, finally let his head fall to the pillows with a _thump_.

Immediately, both Dirk and Farah surged into action, Dirk tightening his own jacket around Todd’s shoulders and Farah reaching down to pull the wool blanket over his already relaxing form.

“Sleep well, Todd.” Dirk murmured, his chest swelling with affection when Todd blinked blearily up at him before his eyes fell shut entirely.

Within minutes, the smaller man was asleep, and Dirk and Farah each let out a long breath as they collapsed back against the headboard on either side of him.

“Was he--” Farah was the first to speak after a long and wired silence, her tone so low that Dirk had to strain to hear her. “What started it?” she turned to offer Dirk a questioning glance.

“I--” Dirk’s heart seized slightly as he took the time to mentally review the morning’s events.

“I left,” he finally admitted, offering Farah an apologetic wince. “Only briefly!” he hastened to explain when faced with her bewildered look. “I was hungry, and there’s a vending machine _right_ outside, so--”

“He panicked.” Farah concluded for him, nodding and staring blankly at the far wall as she mulled the information over.

“Yes, I think that’d be a somewhat astute way of putting it.” Dirk agreed. “To say the least.”

He glanced down at Todd, then, watching his small chest rise and fall (evenly now, thank god) in his sleep, and just barely resisted the urge to reach out and tangle his hand back into his thick and soft curls.

“He was out of his mind with worry.” Farah finally replied, meeting Dirk’s gaze again. “We both were, but…” she furrowed her brow. “Todd was...inconsolable. I don’t think he--I’m not sure he ever really processed...things. What happened when you were taken by Blackwing and--and before. He just sort of just--jumped headlong into finding you, and never looked back.”

Dirk nodded slowly, Todd’s earlier cursing of his disease floating back to the forefront of his mind.

“I’d say that that’s probably a...valid assumption.” he finally agreed, a little breathlessly.

“He--He knew, Dirk.” Farah murmured, her tone having shifted into something a little unsure.

“Pardon?” Dirk turned and leaned forward a bit to catch Farah’s somewhat distant gaze.

“He knew how to find you.” she replied, something like wonder coloring the words. “He--it was like he _knew_ who had taken you, the minute you didn’t come back. We were able to use the case files to track them down easily enough but--he didn’t have a doubt.”

Dirk blinked, glancing back down to where Todd’s face was scrunched in his sleep, and took a moment to process the words.

Todd wasn’t holistic. He wasn’t like him, and he wasn’t like Amanda--

He wasn’t really like anyone Dirk had ever encountered before, he considered.

No, Dirk decided firmly, Todd wasn’t holistic. But there were times….

There was something there, possibly between them, glimmering so faintly that Dirk couldn’t always sense it.

But it _was_ there, nonetheless, and Dirk reckoned that he’d never in his life seen anything even remotely similar.

“Well,” he finally replied with a small shrug, filing the information away for future evaluation as he offered Farah a small smile. “I’m certainly glad he did.”

“Yeah,” Farah watched him another long moment, as if searching for something, before she shifted onto her side and, after hesitating briefly, extended a hand to place it gently at Todd’s elbow.

Todd sighed slightly, and seemed to relax beneath the touch.

“It used to calm him down after--after attacks.” Farah informed, at what was no doubt Dirk’s somewhat awed expression. “When we were on the run.”

“Ah,” Dirk nodded a little, and made to lie on his side, as well, facing the both of them and unable to tear his gaze from Todd’s slumbering features.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.” Farah commented, glancing down at her watch with a small sigh. “We still have a couple hours.”

“Me neither.” Dirk agreed, and snuggled a bit closer to the two.

Almost immediately, it seemed, Todd shifted in his sleep, and one of his hands reached out to tangle in the fabric of Dirk’s shirt at his chest.

Farah watched it happen, a small and somewhat fond smile worming its way onto her face. “He gets like that.” she said softly.

“For such a prickly person,” Dirk huffed, glancing briefly back at Farah before reaching a hand up to rest it gently at Todd’s waist, who gave a small and sleepy hum at the contact.

“See?” Farah chuckled a bit, then seemed to sober slightly.

“Thank you, for what you did.” she finally spoke lowly.

“You would have done the same.” Dirk dismissed with a small and somewhat bewildered smile.

“Well, yes, obviously.” Farah agreed immediately. “But...you’re good for him, Dirk. You’re good at looking out for him. I just--Thank you.”

Dirk swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat, though he fought to maintain the smile on his face.

“He’ll be alright though?” he hadn’t meant to phrase it as a question, but he couldn’t have helped the small quaver of the words if he’d tried.

“He’ll be alright.” Farah assured immediately, and tilted her head to shoot Dirk a soft smile. “We all will be.”

Dirk hummed, and shuffled a bit closer so that Todd’s face was practically pillowed on his shoulder, and his and Farah’s foreheads were inches from brushing each other’s.

“We will.” he agreed, and for the first time in what felt like a long while, he felt truly confident in the fact.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic has effectively knocked out three of my very favorite tropes !
> 
> 1) protective!Todd appearing as a guardian killer angel, heaving for breath and covered in blood, to rescue Dirk
> 
> 2) Dirk and Farah acting as the very best Todd Brotzman Protection Squad
> 
> 3) Todd Brotzman getting the opportunity to yell the words, "don't tell me to calm down!" at pretty much anyone
> 
> (in any case, find me and my very self-indulgent fic writing ass [here!](http://elijahwoodnot.tumblr.com))  
> (and yes, the title is a blatantly obvious reference to the Foxy Shazam song "Connect", thanks for noticing)


End file.
